Hobble the Goblin
by Terry Starker
Summary: A goblin begins his own adventures in Middle Earth.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The Grey One

In the dark cold caverns far beneath the Dwarves stronghold in the Mines of Moria, a small goblin sits alone looking for his next meal. He is not an ordinary goblin, as the other goblins have told him a many of times. Still, the rest of the goblin pack allows him to live in the dark underworld of mountain.

Hobble is his name, and he got his name from the way he walks. With a Hobble.

From time to time a goblin imp or two would pay Hobble a visit just to see what he is up to. Most of the visits are something he dreaded. Never would they say anything nice, never has he had a friend.

Many years have gone by when the halls of the Dwarves stronghold bustled with the sounds of Dwarfs. Nowadays, any being who dared enter the great halls of the fallen kingdom of the Dwarfs would find the nothing but emptiness.

Only a goblin like Hobble would know. Few creatures can thrive in these stone walls of the Dwarfs. The goblins who have made their home in the caves beneath the Dwarves stronghold, wait until something disturbs them. The last time it was the Dwarfs, and they lost.

"Dig, dig, dig," Hobble said, "it's all I can do. My meals are scarce down here in the mud. I wishes I could eat more fleshes like the others do."

Hobble lowered his head as he scrapped his fingers through the gooey mud at the bottom of a small puddle of water. The seeping drips of water made its way through the cracks of the mountain rock forming a small puddles and several small creeks throughout the lower caves.

"Ooh, a worm!"

Hobble picked up the small slimy light grey worm and held it high into the air before dropping it into his waiting mouth. This was testament to Hobble's own survival. He has never been allowed to be in the main pack of the goblins city. He could never understand why.

An echo of a small rock plummeting down the sides of the dark cave easily caught Hobble's attention. The clicking of the stone was a new sound out of the many in the cave.

Next came the voices. Strange voices Hobble has never heard before. They were not coming from a goblin.

The rock Hobble heard bouncing off the stone walls hit him on top of the head, "Owe!" Hobble exclaimed as he rubbed the top of his head where the stone hit him.

"Someone attacked me." Hobble spun around looking to see if there was another goblin in the area. He was alone.

"No goblins here." Hobble surmised, "The voices. I will bet the voices threw the stone at me."

Hobble became angry at the thought of something else besides a goblin throwing a stone at him. If fact, this time he was actually hit by the stone.

"I'm going to find out where this stone came from."

Hobble began a long dangerous climb up the cavern wall. His goblin fingers grabbed every hole he could find. Thin ledges allowed his slender little finger grip the rough rock. Each foot landed exactly where he wanted, then one lose rock made his right foot slip. He was able to hang on to the ledge with both hands, keeping him from falling far below.

"Oopsies. They says you cannot climb very well Hobble." Hobble whispered. "They says you not a real goblin. Well, I will show them."

Hobble was more than three feet from the ground when he realized he could climb no further.

"Maybe I will take the easier way up the stairs."

It was no easy climb. Over the years several goblins and before the goblins, Dwarves, worked on building a narrow set of stairs into the mountain. Everywhere Hobble looked, he could see stairs of wood, stairs carved into stone and even stairs made of stone bricks. There was no telling where all of the stairs went to.

Hobble spent many hours making the miles of caves alone. He knew where almost all of them went to, except the ones going up and those few heading deep underground. It was a depth much further than he ever dared to travel.

"Ups these stairs we go," Hobble whispered trying not to be noticed.

The voices were still a distance off. Up to the dwarves sections of the caves. The stronghold he has never before explored.

After another few steps Hobble shook his head, "I've never been this far away from the caves before," he said. "Danger can lurks behind every corner Hobble."

The thin set of wood stairs turned into stone and then some rubble Hobble had to climb over. The higher he went the thinner the stairs became until there was nothing more than a thin ledge to place his toes while holding on to a rock above.

The further Hobble slowly climbed up the stairway the louder he heard the voices become. He could not make out many of the words, but he now knew they were lost travelers and were definitely not goblins.

Around a large boulder Hobble made his way. A light lit up the cavern from a fire. Goblins are afraid of fires as many know. Hobble stood still for a moment to see where the light was coming from. It diminished to a small glow.

Hobble peered around the edge of the large boulder to where the light came from. He could see the dark outline of a tall human wearing a long pointed hat and long grey robes. In his hand he held a large wooden staff and a crooked pipe hung from his mouth with freshly lit tobacco.

It was the glow of the tobacco from every puff of the pipe made the light Hobble saw.

"What is this creature I see?"

"Creature?" Gandalf, a tall elderly man dressed in a grey rob with his pointed grey hat on his head. He quickly spun around while taking another big puff from his pipe, "I think not."

Gandalf peered off into the darkness. There was nobody he could see. Gollum was still following the ring he was sure of it, but somehow Gandalf knew this voice didn't come from Gollum, as he had a distinct way he spoke.

"Think not what?" Hobble answered.

"I am not a…" a smear of discuss quickly formed on Gandalf's face, "a goblin."

"You're not a goblin," Hobble said.

"Of course I'm not." Gandalf pulled Glamdring from the sheath protecting the sword. He took a quick glance at the blade. It wasn't glowing blue.

"My swords not blue."

"Why should it be?" Hobble said out of curiosity. "Swords are not blue."

"You're a goblin."

"Yes."

"Then my sword should be blue," answered Gandalf. "This only means you are not a goblin."

"I am a goblin," Hobble quickly snapped back.

"I've never met a goblin that wasn't a goblin before," Gandalf put his sword away and reposition the sheath around his waist.

"I am a goblin," Hobble said again.

"You're much shorter then a goblin. So, what are you?"

"I'm a goblin!" Hobble's voice echoed in the large cavern.

Gandalf smiled, "Of course you are."

Frodo's could be heard calling out Gandalf's name in the distance.

"You better go, before my friends catch up to me little one," said Gandalf.

"Why," Hobble tried looking around the boulder, "will they try and hurt me?"

"They may."

"Are you going to hurt me?" Hobble asked.

"I only hurt my enemies," answered Gandalf, "are you my enemy?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Then you are my friend and I don't wish you any harm," said Gandalf. "Now go."

Hobble put a small smile on his small face. It was the first time he has had anyone ever call him friend.

"Oh, one more thing," Gandalf said before Hobble went away, "could you point me in the right direction to get through Moria?"

Hobble pointed towards the tunnel behind Gandalf and nodded one time. He then slowly made his way behind the boulder and out of the sight of Gandalf.

"Thank you my small friend," Gandalf whispered.

Frodo's announced himself one more time when he came through the end of the tunnel where Gandalf stood firmly.

"What are you doing Gandalf?" Frodo asked.

"Resting, what else would I be doing my young Frodo." Gandalf answered briskly.

"Who are you talking to Gandalf?" Frodo asked.

"Nobody."

"Nobody?" Frodo raised his eyebrows.

Gandalf shook his head, "Can't a wizard talk to himself? He will often get a better answer when he does." Gandalf rushed down through the cavern in front of him before Frodo could say anything further.

Aragorn walked up behind Frodo and placed his hand on Frodo's shoulder.

"What's eating at Gandalf?" Frodo asked.

"Only the usual, war, death and the possible lose of him home. Not much I dare say," answered Aragorn.

To be continued…


	2. Follow the Grey

The air inside Moria stays stale. Ever since the Dwarfs were defeated by the orc army. Since that time the life inside the mines have never been the same. Hobble sat in the darkness and watched the company of his new grey dressed friend Gandalf pass on by. All together Hobble counted nine adventurers of different shapes and sizes. One of them was a Dwarf.

It was time for Hobble to decide what he was going to do. The path back down to where he has spent most of his young life headed back down into the darkness, or follow the nine adventurers through the mine.

"These are what I am doing," said Hobble, "time for Hobble to prove he is a good goblin."

Hobble made a decision for himself without realizing he did. Beings he never seen before have traversed the place he calls home.

"I will make sure these creatures leave my home," Hobble confirmed.

The light from the torches were not far ahead. It would make it easy for Hobble to follow Gandalf and the rest of the party with him.

A few hours walking through the caverns Hobble was able to catch up with Gandalf and his party. With little motion Gandalf sat quietly on a rock trying his best to figure out in what direction they should continue walking.

"What are you doing my new friend," Hobble whispered.

It didn't take long before Gandalf finally caught a glimpse of Hobble sitting on the other side of the dark ravine. There was just enough glow from the flames of the torches to cast a glimmering shadow on the rocks behind him.

Hobble pointed off in the direction where he believed his fried wanted to go.

"Ah," Gandalf eyes brightened, "if in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose." Gandalf said to Merry. It was all a ruse to hide the real fact he was watching where Hobble was leading him in hopes his new found friend would lead them to the other side.

The truth is, Gandalf's last visit to Moria was many years ago. As time move forward, things change, and indeed so did the mine created by the dwarfs.

Gandalf stood and began to walk in the direction Hobble pointed. The air was indeed stale, though there's a small breeze pushing though. Hobble didn't know if this encounter would be the last time he would see his grey dressed friend. In either case, Hobble was happy to help his friend.

"Moving, moving, through the caves we go," Hobble began with a tune of his own.

Two disgusting looking goblins showed up behind Hobble. Telech, only taller then Hobble by a few inches considered himself a leader. His experience in combat has always been exceptional for a goblin. That is when he wasn't running away.

Then there was Morat. If you ever wanted a follower, this is the goblin you were looking for.

"There you are," the indiscrete voice of Telech rambled on, "you little scoundrel."

"Yes, you little scoundrel," Morat repeated.

"What are you doing so high up here? Don't you know you have work to do?" Telech flicked Hobbles ear with his long slender finger.

"Yah, you have work to do," Morat continued to repeat what Telech said.

Hobble took one last look to where Gandalf was sitting. The light form the torches faded fast in the dark tunnels of Moria.

"Do you alway have to repeat what Telech says?" asked Hobble.

"Watch what you say to Morat, Hobble. Remember, you are to do what I tell you and right now I am tellin you to get back down there in your hole and clean my armor."

"My armor needs cleaning to Hobble," said Morat.

Hobble didn't mummer another word. His silence made Telech feel he was in total control of Hobble's every move.

Making his way down was always easier then climbing up. After a few slips and stumbles, Hobble finally made back to the cave he has spent most of his life in. Not far behind him were Telech and Morat.

"Haven't you ever wanted to leave the caves, Telech?" Hobble asked.

"Why would I want to do such a crazy thing like that for?" answered Telech, "Besides, any real goblin would know there is nothing but danger outside the mountain caves. Now, get to work cleaning my armor."

"I wish I had a set of armor to wear," said Hobble.

"You, with armor," Morat interrupted, "don't make me vomit."

A clanging sound of metal could be heard getting louder until a final crash of a small set of dwarves armor lands next to Hobble filled with a few remains of a dwarf.

"Well," Morat slowly said, "there's your armor."

"The enemy is back," Telech said, "flesh to eat."

Before Telech could get out another word, the beating of drums began to echo throughout the caverns. Telech and Morat grabbed their armor and weapons from Hobble before he could begin to clean them.

Hobble looked to the armor on the dwarf's body. He pulled off the chain mail and a few other select pieces he thought might fit. The armor was a little oversized for a small goblin. In either case, Hobble now had his own set of armor and a weapon, a sword in fact.

Goblins of many shapes and sizes began to climb up as fast as they could. The rocky wall never slowed them down as they were good at climbing, something Hobble could never do.

Hobble put on the new armor he had the best he could before making his way over to the stairs he climbs up before.

"This is going to take too long," Hobble said while thinking.

Two goblin bodies fell down in front of Hobble with a loud thud. They were both dead and riddled with arrows. The fight must have been a bad one in order for several goblins to fall.

"Maybe I will take another way to the fight and cut them off," Hobble said.

Hobble made his way through narrow caverns and small holes blocking his way. Most of them other goblins did not know these small holes existed.

Telech and Morat were only about half way up the cavern wall when they saw Hobble going a different way. They both decided to follow Hobble thinking he may know another way to get up to the fight.

The tunnel eventually ended at a large deep pit. From here Hobble could see the bridge of Khazad-dum. He showed up in time to watch as Gandalf fell from the bridge. The rage he felt was deep inside. From this point Hobble knew there was more to being a goblin then wondering around in dark caverns.

This is how Hobble began his adventures. A small goblin willing to leave everything he knows and the goblins who hate him in order to explore a world he has never seen before.


End file.
